Blood on Flower Petals
by XxBCgymnasticsxX
Summary: Gasping, I pulled myself up from the floor, looking around wildly. Luckily, Jon, my father, had passed out drunk. I slumped against the counter, exhausted from the beating. It was like my life couldn't get any worse. AU, LilyXjames, full summary inside.
1. Prologue

**Okay, so I was thinking that maybe I wanted to write a Harry Potter fanfiction, but I'm not sure if people will like the idea. So, if I get, say, three positive reviews to keep going, I'll have another chapter posted within two hours. So…review, please!**

Lily, a quiet redhead, has been abused by her magical father ever since her mom died of cancer six years ago. She's 'homeschooled'-if you can call mostly beating your child up half the time homeschooling them- while her sister, Petunia, goes to Hogwarts, where she spreads rumors, lies, and fake stories about Lily, so when she gets to Hogwarts after her father meets a witch and wants Lily out of the house, she is the extremely talented, alone, friendless girl that almost nobody wants to talk to. As if this isn't bad enough for Lily, a boy by the name of Severus Snape regularly hits her, though in places nobody can see, and he threatens to rape her if she tells anyone. James Potter, one of the few people that will go within a four foot radius of her, doesn't believe the rumors and attempts to worm the truth of her childhood out of her as much as he can, as well as asking her out. Welcome to the life of Lily Evans, a.k.a her personal hell.


	2. Chapter 1

**Wow, everyone, thank you so much! Reviews really do lift my spirits. So…here's chapter one. Hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I'm not J.K. Rowling, so I don't own Harry Potter. Sigh.**

**Chapter One**

I stared at the blank, grayish-brown wall, reflecting upon my life. With two supportive siblings, my sisters and I enjoy a cheerful, happy life in a nice cottage by the beach with our rich, wonderful parents, who take us on regular family outings and do fantastic shows for us with magic. If only.

No, my life was almost the complete opposite from this. I _do_ have a sister, but she's not supportive at all. No, Petunia is a stuck up, bratty, Muggle-movie cheerleader-type skank that enjoyed watching me get beaten by my excuse for a father. At her magic school, Hogwarts, which I was not allowed to attend, I hear Petunia bragging a lot about how popular she is and how she has a lot of friends that like her a lot.

Oh, friends! I want one, a real one, so badly. But, as I was locked up all the time in the small, dusty attic in my otherwise cozy house with no contact with the outside world, I don't really have a whole lot of socializing time.

Suddenly, the fading door to my room-if you can call it that- was flung open, and in waltzed a very drunk, very dangerous Jon Evans, followed by Petunia, a little smirk playing on her horse-like features.

"Lily," Robert drawled in a slurred tone, "why have you not made my breakfast? Why are you just sitting here like a lazy little bitch?"

Immediately, I jumped up from my uncomfortable, lumpy bed. No matter how ridiculous his orders and requests were when he was drunk, I had to abide by them, or else he might accidently kill me if the torturing went too far. Not that anyone would notice, or care.

"Um…um…" I stammered, trying to think some kind of excuse. "I…didn't have enough materials. But now I do, so I'll make you something really good," I offered hopefully.

My father's eyes narrowed, as though he was weighing how plausible this explanation was in his head. Apparently, it passed inspection, because he just grunted and shoved me out of the room towards the kitchen, then seating himself and a now pouting Petunia at the table. I could hardly believe my luck. I barely ever got away unscathed when he was drunk and he cornered me.

I whipped pots, pans, and baking utensils out of the wooden cupboard, then turned to the refrigerator and hurriedly brought sausages, eggs, toast, and muffins out and started to cook. If I had a little luck today, maybe I could make a satisfactory breakfast, lunch, and dinner, slip into my room in between, and escape today with no new bruises or cuts.

After leaving sausages sizzling in an iron pan, I cracked four eggs into another and beat them until they turned light yellow in color. Then, after they were a satisfying consistency, I lifted it and tried to place it on the stove. Key word: tried, as it slipped through my fingers, went hurtling through the air, and clattered to the floor, spilling raw egg everywhere.

I froze. Luckily, Jon would be too drunk to remember one of his stupid rules: no wasting food, or else you get a beating. Of course, I'm not really a person who carries a whole lot of luck, because at that moment, Jon pushed his chair back and walked over to me slowly, a dangerous expression on his face. I shrank back as he towered over me.

"You little bitch," he said in a low voice. "Do you know how many times I've told you? _You aren't allowed to waste food in this household._ Apparently, the message hasn't sunk in yet." He gave Petunia, who was watching the display eagerly, a small, very evil smile.

Taking me by the top of my collar, he threw me against the leg of the rickety table. I groaned silently in pain as I heard and felt something in my arm crack. Jon walked up to me, his eyes wild, and kicked me, really hard, in the ribs, which cracked under the pressure. Excruciating, almost unbearable pain needled the left part of my upper body, making it near impossible for me to breath. This time, I couldn't help it- I let out a little moan, but bit down on my tongue, hard, so I couldn't do anything that would be audible. It just goaded Jon to hurt me more.

After that, he didn't break anything, just kicked me around a bit and caused a few fresh bruises to blossom on my skin. Luckily, he seemed to have forgotten his wand, or else I'd be in real trouble.

Then, very, very suddenly, the attacks on me stopped. Gasping, I pulled myself up from the floor, looking around wildly. Luckily, Jon, my father, had passed out drunk. I slumped against the counter, exhausted from the beating. It was like my life couldn't get any worse.

Petunia was there, smirking. How much I wanted to go over there and give her a good right hook to the jaw, I can't tell you. But I was too tired and in too much pain to do much besides army crawl off towards the stairs. Getting to the stairs hadn't been terribly difficult- the part I was worried about was getting _up _the stairs.

Bracing myself, I bent my arms on the raised ground of the stair and pulled the weight of my body up. My muscles screamed in protest, and I flopped back down, right onto my broken rib. Again, I couldn't help but scream, but at least this time there was no one here to torture me for it.

Petunia watched me silently, smiling, as I struggled to strain hard enough to get myself upstairs. She offered me no help whatsoever, and I didn't ask for any- I didn't need to grovel at the feet of scum like her and my dad to get me up to my bedroom.

Finally, after what seemed like a thousand steps, I managed to labor my way up to the attic. Heaving myself onto the bed, I took a pillow from the top of my bed, pressed it against my mouth, and shrieked into it for what must have been a full minute. I did this rather than cutting myself, to let out all the emotion. I never got why abused people like me cut themselves. Why cause yourself even more, unnecessary pain? Well, for whatever reason they do it is beyond me.

I shook my head, trying to clear it so I could have a peaceful little nap. Petunia would probably tell my father that I didn't make her lunch or dinner or anything when he woke up and was sober, but at the moment, I didn't really care.

Laying my head on one of the hard, flat pillows, I closed my eyes and fell into a dark abyss of unconsciousness.

I woke up, sweating and thrashing around on the sheets. Then, as I took in my surroundings, I stopped and thought about my disturbing dream.

It didn't exactly make sense, but that didn't make it any less terrifying. I was sitting on the floor, cleaning up eggs that had fallen to the kitchen floor, when I heard heavy footsteps thump down the stairs.

Looking up, I had seen my father's face, alive with malice, a knife clutched in one hand, the other squeezing a chair leg, which splintered into little sharp fractions.

"Why are you cleaning up eggs?" he bellowed at me. "You were supposed to be scrubbing the walls a half hour ago!" In a flash, he was at my side, teasing the side of my neck with the silver blade of the knife.

"You must do as I ask, or your pretty little neck won't be so pretty with guts and blood running all over it," he crooned. I pleaded with him, "No, please, I can't, it's too dangerous."

He laughed; it was a chilling, cold sound. "You'll have to do better than that, my little flower," he told me nastily, then pressed the blade against my neck, drawing blood…and then I woke up.

_It was only a dream_, I told myself frantically. _Only a dream._

Slowly, as if in a daze, I put on new clothes that were hardly cleaner than the ones that I just changed out of and stared at my reflection in the dirty mirror on my chipped oak dresser.

My shining red hair was the only thing about me that seemed cheery. My eyes had a dull, dead sort of look about them, and my face was hollowed out and pale, as was the rest of my skin. I had no muscle, and bruises dotted my arms and legs like sick artwork.

I knew my mother would have never wanted this. She would have wanted me to have a happy, fun-filled life with two loving parents and a sibling who went to Hogwarts with her and supported her the whole way through. But, when my mother died from cancer, something wizards can't even cure, Dad started to drink and he…well, he became like he was today: a monster, someone that should be locked up with all the rest of the insane people- in Azkaban.

Sometimes, I blame my mother for my life being this way, even though I know deep down it's not her fault. It just feels better to have something, anything, concrete to blame, because it takes a miniscule amount of pressure off my shoulders, knowing that it's not my fault that my father and sister are this horrible. But I don't want to say that nothing has made them like this, because that's not something that I can attempt to fight against, even though I know I won't win.

With that, I buried my head into my pillow and let a few tears escape. Sometimes my screwed up life was too much to deal with.

Suddenly, I heard my dad's voice ring out through the house, saying, "Petunia, Lillian, get down here now." I sat up, rubbing my eyes tiredly. What could he want now?

As I walked down the stairs, I saw a sight that stuck me as very odd indeed; my father had his arm wrapped around the waist of a witch that looked like she'd gone through plastic surgery three times to achieve the perfectly sculpted nose that she showed off.

"Girls," he said proudly, "this is Alison, a witch that I met when I went to go clubbing. She's moving in next week, and her and I decided that we don't want any kids around while we're here. So, after a lot of debate, we have decided to send _Lillian,_" he spat out my name, looking at me nastily, "to school. Lillian," he turned to me, narrowing his eyes, "you'll get all of Petunia's old stuff. But I'm going to make one thing clear." He held my gaze, his eyes cold and piercing. "Any owls saying that you've been trouble, any sign that you have broken the rules at all or in any way, then I'll be there first thing the next morning to bring you to the beatings of your life." The other witch, Alison, didn't do anything at all during his speech, so I'm guessing that she agreed with all of his parenting methods. Well, actually, torturing would be a better word there.

I nodded quickly. Jon's foot collided suddenly with my already broken ribs, and I cried out in my head. I heard Jon's voice whisper into my ear, "Now get upstairs and start packing. I've already sent the owl, so we're leaving tomorrow." I nodded, my eyes filled to the brim of tears that wouldn't spill over, and stumbled to my room, my hands wrapped around my torso.

When I landed on my bed, I couldn't help but almost sing for joy in spite of the pain. A real school. Real friends. And a real chance that maybe, just maybe, I could be normal.

**Sorry, I'm not sure if that's a good enough ending for you, but I promise that another chapter will be up tomorrow, as early as I can. By the way, review please! **


	3. Chapter 2

**Cool, I love all the reviews! Sorry about the delay, the dumb website wouldn't let me log in. So, here's chapter two, hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own Harry Potter. That would be J.K. Rowling.**

**Chapter Two**

I piled the last of the patched-up, hand-me-down items into the worn trunk. Finally, a chance to be normal, a chance to go to an actual school! Professor McGonagall had written back the next day, saying that they would be very pleased to let me into Hogwarts and that I would be sorted into a House before the feast started.

"Lily!" I heard a shrill voice call. "It's time to go! We can't miss the train!" I sighed contentedly. This is what I had been dreaming about for so long-being able to jump onto the Hogwarts Express with Petunia and speed off towards a school that didn't have a maniac father that could hurt me.

I obliged with Alison's request, lugging my trunk downstairs, though with some difficulty, because my father didn't heal the wounds I had completely, so I would still have to suffer slightly. That was okay, though- once I got to Hogwarts, I could magically knit my bones back together without the Ministry coming to our door and demanding a hearing because I broke section twelve in the decree of Underage Magic or something like that.

I got downstairs with three glaring pairs of eyes boring into my face.

"Hurry up, or else we'll miss the train," Petunia snapped. I just shrugged and followed her out that door and into the car that we owned, shoving my trunk into the backseat.

The entire way to the train station, Petunia mostly just talked about how talented she was and how her friends were probably just _dying _to see her.

_Yeah,_ I thought, smirking, _I'd probably be dying if I had to see Petunia's face soon, too._

The rest of the car paid no attention to me whatsoever, and that suited me just fine. Mostly, if anyone ever talked to me at all, it was either to order me to make one of their meals or to tell me to get my lazy ass down to the first floor so my father could beat me up some more.

Finally, we reached King's Cross. I marveled at all the amount of _people _that were there when I got out. And the _trains_- they were so big! Much bigger than the ones that were depicted in Muggle books.

I wasn't sure where to go, as I'd never been anywhere even near the train station, so I just followed Petunia, Jon, and Alison to the stone pillar that was in between platforms nine and ten.

_Odd,_ I thought as I studied my ticket properly for the first time, _it says Platform Nine and Three Quarters…I don't see a Platform Nine and Three Quarters anywhere around here…_

Petunia gave my father and Alison a quick peck on the cheek, threw me a dirty look, and ran at the pillar. I was prepared to laugh when she toppled over, but Petunia didn't crash into it- she went _through _it.

I gaped at where her jogging form had disappeared, my eyes wide with shock. They did that? With _Muggles _everywhere?

I still had my mouth open when my father shoved me forward, growling, "Go, you lazy ass, or someone will notice us." I clamped my jaws shut, grasped the handlebar of my trunks, and ran forwards, flinching slightly when I went through the magical barrier, even though I knew it couldn't hurt me.

Gasping slightly from my throbbing ribs, I glanced around Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Parents and students, some in Muggle clothes, others already in their school uniforms, were milling around, saying their last goodbyes to their families and boarding the train. I spotted a large group of people about my age and just followed them, as I had nobody that would want to even acknowledge I existed.

The bright red Hogwarts Express had many compartments, some large, and others rather small. Most of them were already occupied by other students, but eventually, I found one that was completely devoid of other children.

Mostly, I was left in peace, but about two minutes before the train started to chug away from the station, a group of four kids made their way into my compartment.

"Can we sit here? The rest of the train's full," one black-haired girl said. I nodded silently and scooted over as much as I could towards the window so that everyone had enough room to relax comfortably.

For the better part of an hour, I just stared out the window, observing the slowly changing landscape. Later, though, one of the boys seemed to just notice I was there, and he asked, "Hey, who're you?"

"Um…Lily. My name's Lily. I'm going into fifth year," I clarified.

"Lily…I didn't know we had a Lily in our year," mused one of the girls.

"I'm new," I explained. "My dad's homeschooled me up until now." For some reason, this made the children's' eyes narrow slightly.

"What's your last name?" questioned the first boy, his voice now remarkably cooler.

"Evans. Lily Evans," I told him, confused. Why did they start acting all weird when I told them about me?

Abruptly, the black-haired girl stood up. "Let's go find another compartment, everyone. I don't want to sit here anymore," she proclaimed icily. The others nodded and left in her wake, leaving Lily upset and confused.

_Why don't they like me?_ She wondered. _They don't even know me._ She pondered over the incident for a couple more moments, but then shrugged it off.

_Hey, _she thought, _it's not my problem if they don't want to be my friends._ With that thought, I _A History of Magic _by Bathilda Bagshot out of my bag and started off where I left at home, chapter thirty seven, _The Witch Hunts at Salem_. After a while, though, sleep deprivation from the previous night got to me, so I laid my book bag down and slipped into a thankfully dreamless, peaceful sleep.

Nothing disturbed me for three more hours. After those one hundred eighty minutes, though, muffled whispering shook me back into consciousness.

Four boys' curious faces greeted me as my eyes cracked open. There was a short, pudgy little student that looked remarkably like a rat; a tall, lean one that had sandy hair and sharp, bruise-like bags under his eyes; one had black, shaggy mane that fell just above his shoulders, his eyes very nearly the color of coal, and the final one had hazel eyes, with a mop of unruly dark hair sitting atop his head. Somewhat dazed, I stared at them openly. Why would _they _want to come talk to _me_?

"Um…hi," I breathed, a little winded. Not because of rat boy, of course, but because of the other three, who were all handsome in their own personal way. None of them had the raw good-looks of the shaggy-haired one, but mystery for the one who seemed extremely tired and a sort of mischievous devil sort of sense for messed-up hair dude defiantly was working for the other two.

"Hey," hazel-eyes said, smiling. My breath caught in my throat. "So…you're Lily Evans, right?"

"W- Yeah," I replied, a little puzzled. How did they know my name? "And who are you?"

"Oh, sorry. Over there, that's Peter Pettigrew," he gestured towards the pudgy one, who smiled in an almost fan-like way, "Remus Lupin," the sandy-haired one waved, "Sirius Black," the boy with long hair grinned at me, wiggling his eyebrows, "and I'm James Potter," he finished, pointing at himself with another smile.

Nobody said anything for a moment, but after a while, Sirius blurted out, "So is it true?"

I was thoroughly bewildered now. "Is what true?" I questioned.

James smacked Sirius on the shoulder. "Way to be subtle, dunderhead," he hissed. Sirius just rolled his eyes and continued to answer me.

"Do you have a…you know… a criminal record?" he asked bluntly. Again, James smacked him.

"Do you even know the meaning of the word _subtlety_?" he said in exasperation.

Meanwhile, I was in shock. _Do I have a criminal record? Why the hell would they think that?_

"Um…I- you- why?" I didn't actually get a coherent sentence out, but James seemed to understand, because he continued to study me while leaning back towards the others, muttering, "See, I _told _you it wasn't true."

Now that the shock was wearing off, I was beginning to get mad. "So who the hell told you this?" I asked hotly, my eyes narrowing as I backed away from them. James put his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"Well, see, it's kind of like…" but I didn't hear anymore. The position his hands were in, a gesture of surrender or not, was what Jon did to me when he beat me up. Reflexively, my body curled up into a ball, and I whimpered quietly. Not quietly enough, though, because James stopped his explanation at once and stared at me, dropping his arms.

"Mate, what do you do when a hot girl has a nervous breakdown?" Sirius asked in a hushed tone, sounding a little nervous. This time, Remus was the one who connected his hand with Sirius's back.

"Shut up, you prat," he said, though there was no venom in his voice, so it sounded as if the phrase was greatly worn and overused.

"I'm not sure," James replied, who seemed to have taken Sirius's question seriously. "Here, let me try this…"

He leaned over towards me and lifted up his hands. I shrank back even farther, so now I was totally pressed up against the scarlet seats. James didn't give up, though; he reached towards me more, and when his skin touched mine, he rubbed soothing circles on my arm.

He did this for a couple of seconds; when he felt me relax, he moved in closer and sat next to me, now massaging my back. I sighed- his hands were amazingly gentle and warm, so they felt good against my sore muscles.

I let my eyes slide close and allowed my head to lean over the back of the seat. I wasn't asleep, but apparently, the boys thought I was, because a few minutes after I had done this, they began to talk about me in whispers.

"So…she doesn't have a criminal record, and that means that she never randomly attacked helpless Muggles for no reason. I feel kind of bad for her- she's going to have a really hard time convincing the rest of the school that," James said. "I mean, I believe her- don't you?"

"Of course," Sirius answered at once. "For one thing, she's way too hot to be a criminal-" this was followed by a smacking noise and an 'Ouch!", but then he continued, "and she seems trustworthy. Besides, wouldn't she have gotten her wand snapped if she did that? And she didn't, because it's right there, hanging out of her pocket." Seconds later, Remus agreed, and so did Peter, but it seemed like he would say anything to please any of the boys, particularly James and Sirius.

After they had concluded that I wasn't a criminal, they started to talk about Quidditch. I didn't know much about the sport- all I knew was that there were four balls and seven players who rode around on broomsticks.

During this entire little conversation, I had been a little tensed up- for a second there, I really thought that Petunia had told them my secret. But apparently, she didn't want the shame of everybody knowing there was one of _them _in the family. Well, I didn't really care about her reasons, all I was concerned about was that my secret was safe.

Soon, I became bored, just sitting there, listening to their conversation on a subject I had almost no knowledge about. So, I decided the best solution to this was that it was time to 'wake up'.

Imitating a yawn, I let my eyelids flutter for a second before stretching and peeling my eyes open.

All of the other people in the compartment were looking at me. I blushed and looked down. Nobody said anything for a moment, then James announced," So…we believe you're not a criminal." I pretended to look thankful and hugged each of them. Sirius and James seemed to enjoy it a little more than they probably should.

"So, Evans-" Now that my little incident was over, James seemed to get as cheeky and confident as Sirius was. "Wait, can I call you Evans?"

I shrugged. Honestly, I didn't care too much, so I replied, "Only if I can call you Potter."

He grinned roguishly and winked. I rolled my eyes. "So, get on with it," I sighed.

"Want to go out?" It seemed like he already knew the answer, but wanted me to say it anyways.

"Not really, no. I don't really want a relationship right now, thanks." James didn't look put out one bit. On the contrary, he seemed excited for some reason unknown to me.

"Don't worry, Evans, I'll make you want one really soon…" he laughed with Sirius, Remus, and Peter, Peter a little too energetically.

"We'll see about that," I snorted. Inwardly, though, I was rolling my eyes and sighing. It seemed like I was going to get a lot of requests to go out this year from James Potter.

"'Bye, Evans, see you later!" Sirius said in a singsong voice, exiting the compartment first. Oh, so now I was Evans to him, too?

"Whatever, Black."

"Evans, my little flower, how I miss you already-" James started, practically shouting the words. My face turned crimson and I felt like I was burning from embarrassment, because everyone that could hear popped their head out from their carriage to stare at the little show we were putting on.

"SHUT UP!" I yelled, slamming the door and locking it, so no one else could come in. Before I did, though, I swear I heard a little chuckle in the direction James disappeared in.

**So….how do you like it? I know, you're all like, OMG, what's her secret? If you have any ideas, please PM me, and don' t ruin it for others, please. By the way, you'll learn what her secret is within the next three or so chapters. They'll arrive at school in the next chapter, but it'll be in James's point of view. Next chapter should be up in two days minimum, four days maximum. Probably two days. Anyways….review, please!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Okay, so I lied. This chapter won't be from James's point of view. There most certainly will be chapters from his point of view, but this isn't it. Okay, so…enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, unfortunately.**

**Chapter Three**

I dressed into my school robes quickly, as I could see Hogwarts in the distance. I was excited, but nervous, too. I mean, what if people took that ridiculous lie seriously? Eventually, the train slowed to a stop, and I realized I had no idea what to do next.

After seeing everybody go towards a clearing with carriages in it but no horses, I decided the best move would be to follow them. After all, if everyone was going here, they couldn't be tricking me, could they?

I climbed into one of the empty vehicles. Honestly, I didn't want to see anybody at the moment, despite my craving for friends- all I wanted was to be left alone.

For a whole ten minutes, I got my wish. Not one single person came over to ride in my carriage…until dear Potter and his friends came along.

First, I heard whispering from outside the door.

"No, this is the only carriage with room enough for all of us," one voice proclaimed.

"Fine, come on, let's sit here. I wonder who's sitting alone."

The door creaked open, and Sirius Black poked his head in. When he saw my face, Sirius grinned.

"Hey Prongs," I heard him call. Prongs? Who the hell was that? "You better check out who's sitting in the carriage, I think you'll be mighty interested." He smirked at me, and I stuck out my tongue childishly.

James replied, "Okay, but if it's that Petunia girl again, I swear I'm going to…" when he realized it was me in the carriage, he put on an arrogant, cocky sort of smile.

"Well, hello there, Evans," he greeted me. Then, he turned to the rest of the guys and yelled, "Come on, we're _defiantly_," he winked at me, "sitting in here." I rolled my eyes. Honestly, hormonal guys were charming sometimes, but other times they were just plain flat out damn annoying.

James made sure to put the entire carry-on luggage on our seat, and then made Sirius sit with us, so I was sandwiched between James and the side of the carriage. I knew it looked like an innocent move, but I knew he did it so that he could touch me. Perv.

After we'd all gotten settled, the carriage started to go forwards. I wasn't really surprised they did, even though there were no horses- there was probably a spell or something that was put on them.

When we started moving, James began to pepper me with questions, some that I wasn't entirely comfortable about.

For example, he asked me how life was at home. I had to lie through my teeth and say that my father was great and I loved my sister, but I knew he didn't really believe me. I'd always been a shitty liar.

Eventually, James and Sirius started to talk about Quidditch again. I didn't really know all of what they were saying, but it sounded interesting, and I wanted to learn about it.

"What's Quidditch?" I asked, cutting Sirius off while he was talking about a beater, whatever that was. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all gaped at me.

"You don't know what Quidditch is?" James asked, his mouth open in disbelief. I just shrugged.

"Well, kind of. I know that there are four balls and seven players and that you do it on broomsticks, but yeah, that's about it."

"My dear," Potter said in a solemn voice, "you have been deprived of one of the greatest things known to wizardkind." Then, he, along with Sirius, and Remus bumping in occasionally, went into a full-out explanation of what the balls were, what position each player occupied, and the general concept of the game of Quidditch.

After they were done, my mind was working. It sounded like so much fun, and if I was good…maybe people would forget about that lie that was most likely told by Petunia.

"By the way, tryouts are in a week and a half." James stole a furtive look over at me. "If you want, I could help you play- if you want to. And maybe you could go out for the team. I'm captain."

I sat there, my mind racing. If I had talent, I probably wouldn't need _too _much of Potter's help, so my ego wouldn't be wounded too badly. Also, I wouldn't learn how to play any other way…

"Fine. But it's not a date. You're just teaching me how to play," I finally said in reply. James exchanged a glance and a smirk with Sirius, then told me, "Of course, my wonderful flower, I wouldn't dream of-"

"SHUT UP!" I yelled. The rest of the carriage snickered, while Potter feigned looking affronted.

"Evans, my dear, it is not very ladylike to scream impolite things to others, especially to mature, respectable men like us." I rolled my eyes. "By the way," he added, "want to go out with me?"

"No," I said flatly, turning to the window. James, once again, didn't seem crushed at all by the rejection.

The ride carried on, and Potter somehow managed to ask me out a total of fifteen times, and every time I said no, his leer and his humungous ego that I learned he had seemed to enlarge considerably.

When we finally got there, I jumped out of the carriage, hoping to avoid being asked out again and to find Professor McGonagall so I could be sorted into one of the Houses. I knew that Petunia was in Slytherin; it kind of fit, as Slytherins were normally snobby, unkind students.

I found McGonagall where she said she'll be- right in the front entrance, wearing a pointed witch hat and sweeping, very dark green robes. When she saw me coming towards her, she pushed the crowd away and met me halfway.

"Ah, Miss Evans, so glad you could come to Hogwarts," she said crisply. "Follow me to Professor Dumbledore's office- you'll be sorted there."

I just nodded and followed her. We wove through the students, down passageways, up stairs, and finally, to a stone gargoyle, where Professor stopped. I started in surprise. Where was his office?

"Lemon Drop," Professor McGonagall said to the gargoyle. I just stared at her like she was going senile. Why the hell was she talking to a statue?

My inquiries were solved, however, as the gargoyle moved, saying 'right you are', and showed a gap in the wall that led to stairs, which obviously went to his office.

"Follow me, please, Miss Evans," McGonagall told me, then started up the stairs. Again, I did as she asked and wound up the staircase with her, which eventually led to an oak, wooden door, which she opened and ushered me in.

My first impression on the office was that it was very unusual- active portraits went about their business, chatting with each other, there was a squashy armchair right in front of Dumbledore's desk, which was surrounded by silver, spindly machines. A handsome bird sat on a perch and right by it on a table sat a patched, rather ancient looking hat. Once you got over the shock, though, the effect was quite pleasant.

Behind the desk was an old, thin, twinkly-eyed man, who was also wearing a hat like Professor McGonagall's. He gestured for me to sit down and for the other woman to leave, who nodded at him and exited the room.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor Dumbledore told me, spreading his arms as if to embrace me. I smiled uncertainly, which he returned full out.

"You are Miss Evans, then?" He waited for me to nod. "Then you're here so you can be sorted." I nodded again.

Dumbledore flashed his teeth at me again, went to the back of the room, and got the old hat, then went back and handed it to me. I looked questioningly first at the hat, then at him.

"Put it on," Dumbledore told me gently.

"Oh," I said quietly, jamming the hat onto my head to cover my embarrassment.

As soon as the faded fabric touched my hair, I felt another…presence in my mind. It seemed like it was rifling through my thoughts, from the first time that I had ever used magic, to my last crush on a neighborhood Muggle boy.

_Hey,_ I said indignantly in my head, _that's private. _The rifling stopped immediately, and was replaced by laughter.

_I thought you might say that,_ something said in the same tone as the chuckling was in. I knew it was the hat- the voice matched the appearance, kind of softish, but with an underlying rough tone to it.

_You're smart,_ it mused, _very smart…and you use it for the right reasons…so maybe Ravenclaw? But I see loyalty in there, too, so Hufflepuff would also serve you well…but bravery as well, so Gryffindor is also an option…hmmm, you're a hard one. _The hat stayed silent for another full minute, then it started up again, saying, _Yes, yes, I think I've made the right choice…well, it'd better be-_

"GRYFFINDOR!" yelled the hat from a flap at the top, opening like a mouth. Dumbledore beamed.

"Excellent, excellent, yes, I thought you might be in there, too. Well, off to the great hall now, I'm going too, so I'll accompany you, come on."

The entire way there, Dumbledore mostly just explained all the rules and asked if I had any questions.

"No, sir," I replied respectfully. Dumbledore smiled in a way that proved that he was satisfied.

"And here we are!" he proclaimed, raising one of his arms to highlight the great hall, where hundreds and hundreds of students were talking excitedly, obviously catching up with each other from the summer holidays. With a pang, I realized how much I really wanted a friend right now. Well, I had Potter, but he didn't count, because he asked me out every two seconds.

"The Gryffindor table is over there," Dumbledore said in my ear, nudging me lightly towards the far right end of the room.

"See you later, sir," I told him, then ran off to the table. Maybe I'd even make some friends.

When I got there, though, I saw that making friends probably wasn't an immediate option. Most people who saw me just turned away with wide eyes, but some stole furtive glances and others just openly stared.

"Evans! Evans! Over here!" I heard Potter's voice calling me, and I turned beet red as the entire female population of Hogwarts turned to glare at me. Apparently, James was the type of boy that everybody dreamed to be with, not that I was surprised; he had the looks, the confident demeanor, the personality…

Anyways, I hurried over to where Potter was waving his hands, with Black mimicking him.

"What? You're making everybody look," I hissed. James smirked.

"Evans, darling, if you hang out with young Padfoot and I, you're going to have to get used to it," he snickered. Sirius did the same.

"Padfoot? Who the hell is Padfoot?" I asked, confused.

"That would be me," Black replied smugly. "I'm Padfoot, James is Prongs, Remus is Moony, and Peter is Wormtail. We," he said, gesturing to all four of them, "are the Marauders." I kind of wondered why they were called the Marauders and was about to ask, when Professor McGonagall went up to a chair right in front of the teacher's table, put the old Sorting Hat on it, and began to call names. Instantly, the room was silent.

"Hey," I whispered to James, "that's the hat that sorted me into Gryffindor!"

"Yeah," he whispered back. "That's the Sorting Hat- it sees all your qualities and traits and stuff and Sorts you into the House you fit into best."

So _that's _why I heard the voice in my head that went through my thoughts- it must have been trying to see what kind of a person I was. I wondered if it did that with everyone else, but I didn't want to ask. _Whatever, _I thought, and turned my attention back to the Sorting.

It went by kind of slowly- kids went up to the hat, put it on their head, and then just waited until it called a House, who's students would clap enthusiastically for the new addition to their population.

After Zinnia, Isabella got sorted into Ravenclaw, Dumbledore stood up.

"Welcome, and welcome back, all of you. Now, I'm only going to say a few words, as I'm sure you're all very hungry. First off, no going into the Forbidden Forest unless you're in detention with Hagrid. Next, there is a blanket ban on Fanged Frisbees, Dungbombs, and many other objects, which can be checked on the list outside of our caretaker's door, in the corridors. Finally, our previous caretaker, known to all our students as Ugg, is not remaining at Hogwarts any longer, so welcome our new one, Argus Filch!" There was some applause as a shy-looking brown haired adult waved, a young cat sitting at his feet.

"Excellent," I heard Sirius whisper to James, "we're going to have a ball breaking this one in." I could only expect this meant they were the troublemakers, the prankers, of the school. Figures.

"Now, dig in!" he announced, and magically, platters of food and jugs of drinks appeared on the table. I gaped. How did Hogwarts get this much nourishment?

As I ate daintily, I couldn't help but feel that my start at Hogwarts wasn't exactly going as planned.

**I know, I know, it's not a very good chapter, but it's necessary! I promise, the next one is fifty times better. Anyways, I made a little scale sort of thing…**

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**Anyways, review!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Wow, thanks for the reviews (: This if from Lily's Point of View. So…chapter four. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, though I can't say I would mind owning Sirius. Lol.**

**Chapter Four**

God, I was so dang _tired!_ I hated my little secret. It was such a pain in the ass. Metaphorically and literally. Dragging my feet, I walked up to the dormitory.

I had gone wandering in the halls to explore the castle a little bit before bed, for two reasons: the first, obviously, because I wanted to see more of Hogwarts. The second? My dorm mates were either complete bitches or totally creepy. Well, except Alice.

Contestant number one: Casey Marchbanks. She wears the tiniest, most revealing clothes possible. I can't really describe it better than that, because there's not much to tell you about. She acts like she's better at everything than anybody else because her mom's an O.W.L. inspector person and knows a lot of important, influential people at the Ministry, and Casey is always bragging how she's going to become Minister of Magic or something like that. Yeah, right.

Contestant number two: Isabella Ollivander. She has these eyes that just…stare you down. And they don't stop staring until they find a new target, which they don't stop staring at until they find a new target, and so on. Unfortunately, I was the target for something like two hours, so I had this weird feeling of being watched the entire time I was in the dormitory. Also, she wears super, super dark make-up and has her own little group of friends that look exactly like her. And, to top it all off, she has the biggest and most pronounced crush ever on the weirdo king of the school, Xenophilius Lovegood.

Contestant number three: Julie Parkinson. I have absolutely no idea how she got into Gryffindor. She should, by all means, be in Slytherin. She lies even when the truth serves her better; she's sly, cunning, greedy, and Casey's best friend. No surprise there, I guess, since they're so much alike.

Finally, contestant number four: Alice Jones. She's the only one that is moderately nice to me and wears regular, average clothes. She's got a boyfriend, Frank Longbottom, he's in our House too, and I met him. He _seems _nice, but it's fairly hard to tell if someone is decent or not when you're yelling your head off at Potter because he won't leave you alone.

Anyways, I'm so tired, like I said before. I hate it when it's almost time. It really takes a lot out of me, and I look different, because my hair turns all silvery-reddish, I get bags under my eyes, and I always have to go to Madam Pomfrey so she can go off about how important it is that I go to her at the right time, where to meet her, blah blah blah.

Anyways, as I said, I was returning from my walk when I heard footsteps behind me. Whipping around, I saw Petunia, walking next to this sallow, greasy-haired, pale-skinned boy. I tried to go to the common room, but before I could, Petunia saw me and sneered, "Well, well, well, if it isn't my little Squib of a sister."

I was immediately on the defensive. "I'm not a Squib," I returned hotly.

"You're as good as one; you barely know any spells," Petunia told me dismissively.

"I do too!" This was true-I'd taught myself a couple of spells my father had been too lazy to teach me. Actually, he didn't really teach me anything.

"Yeah? Let's see," Petunia sneered. So did the greasy-haired boy, even though he didn't know me. _Well, _I thought bitterly, _if he knows Petunia, he probably thinks I'm a Muggle-attacking freak, or something along those lines._

"Uh…I don't really want-" I started, but was cut off by the sound of Petunia screaming an attack spell. I pulled my wand out, wracking my brain for some sort of counter.

_Protegeo, or a Shield Charm, will protect you from minor and moderate curses,_ I remembered from one of my textbooks.

"Protegeo!" I roared, hoping the spell would go right.

It did. Petunia's offensive burst of sparks shattered to pieces when it collided with my Shield Charm. Thank God I'd read _Standard Book of Spells, grade Five _already. Petunia scowled.

"You'll pay for that. I'll make sure of it," she hissed to me. Then, tugging on the pale-skinned boy's arm, who threw me a dirty look, they swept out of the corridor and towards the passageway to the dungeons, which was where their common room was set.

_Bloody hell,_ I reflected, thinking of Petunia's words to me, _you'd think we were lifelong enemies, not people with the same birthparents. _I refused to call her my sister; a sister was someone who made you feel better and stuck up for you, the two people didn't have to be related, in my mind.

Luckily, I got past the Fat Lady and the common room without any more incidents, though I had a close shave with Peeves, who narrowly missed me while floating along in the hallways, singing a very rude song at the top of his lungs.

No one was in the dormitory, to my relief. Quietly, I slipped off my school robes, put on my pajamas, and went into a thankfully dreamless sleep.

**A/N: Okay, sorry for the author's note, but I just wanted to let you know that this is from James's point of view.**

This is excellent. I love this prank.

We always do start of the year pranks, but I think this one might be the best one yet. And it's going to start in five….four….three….two….one.

Right in front of the teacher's table at breakfast, a huge amount of different colored, magical fireworks went off, forming a picture of a lion wrestling a snake, while a badger and a raven (**sorry, I don't know what else to do as Ravenclaw)** clapping. Then, after the lion won, all three animals broke into an inappropriate song for school that had to do with bringing down Slytherin. Sirius caught my eye and pretended to conduct them. I grinned; his lyrics were brilliant. Finally, the picture vanished with a _pop,_ then a large 'M' surrounded by a circle replaced it before it went away completely. The Marauders always leave their trademark.

Silence for a moment. Then, applause broke out from all of the tables except Slytherin, who were sitting there sulkily, hands crossed against their chests. They knew they were going to be the butt of the joke, like they always were, but that didn't make them any less cross when it actually happened.

"Mr. Potter?" I heard Filch's timid voice call me. I turned to him. He looked a little…scared?

"Yeah?" I asked, completely at ease.

"Um…well…I have reason to believe that you did that prank, and according to-"

"Do you have any proof?"

"Well," he stammered, "no, but-"

"Then I guess that we're okay, then," I cut across him smoothly. Filch looked a little confused, but he nodded and scurried away. I smirked. It was _definitely _fun training this amateur.

I turned to Sirius and gave him a huge grin. He returned it, saying, "Prongs, my man, we did it!"

"I know!" I exclaimed.

"Potter! Black!" McGonagall's voice rang out, stiff and firm. Oh, shit. McGonagall isn't going to let us off the hook.

"Yes, Professor?" we said in unison, apprehensive.

"You disrupted breakfast, and-"

"But Professor," I protested, "how do you know it was us? You have no _proof-"_

"Don't give me any of that today, Potter," she said in a tired voice. "I think we can both agree it was you."

"Yes, Professor," I said in a dejected voice. We were going to get a detention for this, I was sure of it.

"You both have detention tonight with Mr. Filch." Surprise, surprise. "Meet him next to the portrait of Walden the Weird at six thirty. I will see you in my class today." And with that, she turned and walked on to her classroom to prepare for her first class, robes billowing behind her.

"Well, at least we have it with Filch. He'll go easy on us," Sirius encouraged. "And besides, at least we have Moony tonight to look forward to." I nodded, letting him lighten me up. I didn't feel like being in a depressing mood today…but then again…I never was in a depressing mood. A few steps along the corridor, Remus and Wormtail joined us.

We walked to our first class, joking about some pranks we had been discussing last night. I walked into Double Potions with the Slytherins for our first class, still laughing. But when I saw Lily, I stopped.

"What's up, Prongs?" Sirius asked, carefree. Then, he followed my line of vision, saw Lily, and smirked.

"Don't worry, Prongs, you've never failed on a girl yet. Just flirt with her a little, make her feel comfortable. Then, just-"

"I know how to do it," I snapped. Sirius leered at me.

"If you say so, Prongs," he replied. We took the only seats that were available. They were perfect because a, they were in the back, and b, there was a seat right next to Evans.

Lily stiffened up a little, then when I sat down next to her. _Ha, _I thought triumphantly, _that's one of the first signs to show a girl likes you- they get all nervous, but then they try to hide it._

I didn't need to listen to Professor Slughorn- I already knew all the stuff he was teaching, so instead, I studied Lily. I noticed she had little silver streaks in her hair, and that there were sharp bags under her eyes.

_Odd, _I mused, _why would she have silver hair? Or bags under her eyes- I saw her go to bed early._ I blew it off, though- she might have had a restless sleep last night or something, and the silver must be a genetic thing. It actually looked pretty good on her.

Old Sluggy finished the explanation of what the potion did, flicked his wand, and made instructions on how to make it on the blackboard. Even though Potions wasn't my best subject, I already knew how to brew this, so that meant that I could focus on Lily almost the entire period.

"So," I started casually, after we got our stuff from the cupboard. "How do you like Hogwarts so far?"

Lily started a little in surprise that someone was talking to her. When she saw me, she sighed.

"I like it pretty good, I guess. But a lot of people don't want to be my friend." She gave me a pointed look, one that said you-know-what-I'm-talking-about.

"Didn't you explain that wasn't the case?"

"Uh…well…they didn't really give me the chance. Every time someone saw me, they pretty much just walked the other way or refused to talk to me. I don't get why they won't just let me tell the truth." She hung her head and looked so dejected, so I tried to sling my arm around her shoulders and comfort her. Also, I wanted to touch her- a little perverted, I know, but I can't help it- I'm a hormonal teenager. Sirius turned around to see the incident and grinned at me, knowing both of my motives.

But right after our skin made contact, she gasped. I could detect fear in her features as she pulled away from me, fast. So fast, in fact, that she almost toppled to the ground.

Right before she left the chair, I put my hand around her waist and yanked her up. She glanced up at me, her face as red as her hair.

"Uh…thanks," she mumbled, but I didn't let go.

"Go out with me, Evans?" I whispered into her ear. A little gleam came into her eyes, but she covered it by rolling them. I saw it, though- a millisecond before they went in circles. _Ha, _I thought, _I knew it; she likes me, even if she doesn't know it yet._

"No," Lily whispered back. I straightened up, not sad at all, and told her in a regular voice, "Right, well, our Quidditch lesson non-date thingy is tomorrow night- meet me at the Quidditch pitch around seven."

For some reason, this made her go red again, and she muttered, "Okay."

The rest of the lesson went by pretty quickly, because all we did was work on our potions, me making occasional conversation with her.

During the entire thing, I was wondering about her sister. Why was she so mean to her? And why was she always so reluctant to answer questions about her father?

The rest of the day passed without much incident- I asked Evans out a few more times, and she refused all the requests. Of course, this didn't deter me one bit.

At the end of the day, while Sirius and I were on our way to detention, I called out to Lily just to annoy her, "Goodbye, my sweet little flower, oh, how much I will miss you in just the short time that I am gone-"

"SHUT UP!" she screamed, her usual response. I'm guessing she does this because she doesn't' like a lot of attention…I don't know why, because I eat it up.

Filch was waiting for us at the end of the hall, probably waiting to give Sirius and I some kind of lecture that I'm sure we will never remember. Sirius turned to me and gave me an encouraging sort of smile. I sighed and returned it. At least I had Moony to look forward to.

_Lily's Point of View_

That James Potter. He…just…oh, I don't know. But he's something, all right. He really is something.

**Okay, so how did you like it? I promise, if I get a couple reviews, I'll post the next chapter tomorrow. Oh, and the first person to get her secret right wins! Review!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Kay, next chappie…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, that would be J.K. Rowling.**

_Lily's Point of View_

I sighed as Madam Pomfrey led me through the tunnel. I hated tonight. Tonight would be full of pain, and me literally being driven out of my own mind.

Finally, we reached the light at the end of the tunnel. No, actually, let me rephrase that; we reached the end of the tunnel, but it was as dark and dank as what I just came from- no special light there.

"I'll see you tomorrow, sweetie," Madam Pomfrey told me quietly, closing the door to the underground softly. I nodded, even though I knew she couldn't see me, and sighed again. I hated doing this.

Checking the clock at the top of the doorframe, I saw it was ten fifty four. Six more minutes. Six more minutes until I lost my mind for ten hours.

It was actually very nice of Dumbledore to let me do this….no one else ever would. I mean, secrecy, sanctuary when it happened…it seemed almost too good. But want to know what would make it even better? Something that would help me keep my human brain.

I'd take the pain any day…it's just the feeling of being a predator, ripping everything to shreds while you have absolutely no control over your body…I wish there was some way to regulate that. But there isn't, so there's no point in me wishing.

Twenty more seconds. I waited for the agony of my muscles stretching and my bones reforming, closing my eyes…

It came. I let out a howl-like scream as tendons and veins were cut, reformed, and cut again, to get into the shape desired of my body.

After five minutes, I dropped to the floor, but then jumped right back up on all fours. Snarling, I pounced at the door, now an uncontrolled, terrifying, dangerous werewolf.

_James's Point of View_

"Prongs, come on, let's go. We have to meet Moony," Sirius whispered as we were slithering down the hall from our detention. I nodded and went with him to the Gryffindor common room, where Wormtail should be waiting for us.

We reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, muttered the password, and gained entrance, where he was half-asleep on one of the squashy armchairs.

"Wormtail, wake up, we have to go," Padfoot hissed. Jerking fully awake, Peter Pettigrew started and looked around wildly, but when he saw us, his face went a little pink, and he murmured, "Right, um, sorry I almost fell asleep there, I just was really-"

"Yes, yes, that's all very interesting," Sirius said dismissively, not sounding engrossed in his explanation at all, "but we're going to be late for Remus, and he needs us." Peter turned a little pinker, nodded, and we stole off into the hallways of Gryffindor Tower.

We narrowly missed an episode with Professor McGonagall, who was patrolling the corridors, and only got away because I had my Invisibility Cloak with me.

"Wormtail, hurry up, you're going to get us caught," Sirius snapped, taking Peter by the back of his robes and dragging him along so he could keep up.

"I can walk, let go of me!" Peter insisted as he yanked the cloth away from Sirius's hands, glaring.

"Well then you have to keep up."

We silently stole out of the castle and onto the grounds, making our way to the Whomping Willow, which was thrashing about its branches and wiggling its trunk.

"Okay, Wormtail," I whispered. "Go…now!" Peter sighed. Then, he stepped forwards, closed his eyes, and a blue light enveloped him, making us unable to see Peter. Then, the light ceased, and in the place where a chubby little boy was a rat, scurrying towards the little knob on the tree that would calm it down so we could go through the secret passageway.

"Prongs go!" whispered Sirius, pushing me slightly. I shot him a glare but got out from under the Invisibility Cloak, closed my eyes, and changed.

Becoming an animal is the most curious feeling- you're still in your right mind, but everything is a lot clearer, more primitive than when you're human. And physically...this probably doesn't apply to Peter, but all your limbs are lengthened, and your body just feels…built, muscular, and powerful. Anyways, so I followed where Peter's bald tail had disappeared down the tunnel.

The usual snarling greeted me when I got to the Shrieking Shack…but it sounded…different. Not right.

Looking down at where the werewolf was, I gaped…if animals even can gape. Point is, I was very, very shocked.

A dangerous, growling creature greeted my eyes, but this isn't what I was surprised about. The thing is…this werewolf here…it's not Remus. It's leaner, more graceful, and it looks at least about five times more vicious than him.

Snapping, the werewolf that wasn't Moony pounced at me, crashing into my large body and making me topple to the floor. Biting my flank, it seemed to take cruel pleasure in the pain that was ripping in my side.

Suddenly, the weight was lifted off of me, and Padfoot was bravely trying to take on the part-human by himself. I rolled my eyes in my head. Sirius, always trying to do things alone and without any help whatsoever.

I ran into the new animal with my antlers, flipping it onto its back and wrestling it to the floor, keeping it there while it howled.

Well, now I know it's a girl. That kind of explains the viciousness- girls are more violent than boy werewolves, for some strange reason.

Suddenly, Sirius barked a warning, nodding with his huge head behind me. Perfect. Remus was here. Now that's two we have to take on.

Throwing the girl to the other side of the room, I turned around to face Remus. He seemed almost…tame after the female. But I think part of the reason he didn't fight so much is because we- the rest of the Marauders, that is- were here. I think that brings his mind back a little, makes him slightly more sane than usual.

Eventually, we got the two under control…or as much control as you can have over two werewolves, with me holding Remus back with my antlers, Sirius holding the girl to the floor by the scruff of her neck in his teeth, while she leaned around and tried to bite him. Sirius retaliated by snapping at her every time she made her target, which happened to be his legs. Good thing other animals aren't affected by a werewolf's bite.

We made it through the night fairly well. Once, Moony even let me touch him without him trying to take a piece out of my neck. The female, though, Sirius pretty much had to hold down with his teeth. She was so wild and unrestrained…I shuddered to think of the destruction she would cause if she were in a crowded town.

Madam Pomfrey would be coming soon, so I caught Sirius's and Peter's eyes and nodded towards the secret passageway, making it clear we had to leave so we wouldn't get caught.

Soon, all of us were changed back into humans and were running full speed towards the castle. We wouldn't be in trouble for being on the grounds in the morning, but it would be kind of hard to explain exactly why we were out of the dormitory this early.

As we were sprinting back up to the Gryffindor Tower, I couldn't help but wonder _who the hell is a werewolf?_

_Lily's Point of View_

_Who the hell is a werewolf? Or an Animagi? Because there is no way that those animals were really animals…they were way too smart, and they seemed like they knew exactly what to do with the other one._

I was in the hospital wing, having Madam Pomfrey heal my scratches and bruises, pondering over what happened last night.

There was another one…like me…but there were three other animals: a rat, a dog, and a stag, and all three of them seemed too intelligent to be what they appeared to be. I'd already guessed what they were: exceedingly bright students who were Animagi, or wizards who could become animals at will. I'd also already guessed their purpose: to help their friend, who was a werewolf, during the full moon.

The one thing I hadn't guessed is who the students were. If I knew, I wouldn't turn them in- far from it. Instead, I would ask them- beg, if I had to- to keep me under control. To make sure I didn't bite anyone, because that was the factor that scared me the most about being a wolf, biting an innocent person just because they were in my way.

Later that day, Madam Pomfrey told me to take it easy. When I told her that James Potter was going to teach me how to play Quidditch, she crossed her arms and huffed.

"Quidditch," she muttered. "Dangerous, stupid, idiotic game, if you ask me. I've had way too many broken noses and twisted limbs because a Bludger hit them. Well, personally, I believe it should be…"

I didn't really want to listen to a rant about how horrible Quidditch was, so I started to scoot back slowly, watching her the whole time. Then, suddenly, I turned around and broke into a run. I think, though, that as I passed through the door to the wing, that I heard a chuckle in Madam Pomfrey's soft tone.

I didn't really have anything to do until Potter's Quidditch lesson at seven, so I decided I'd just take a walk. I hadn't been able to explore the grounds properly yet, so this would be a good chance, as none of the teachers I had were mean enough to give homework on the first day.

After walking past a wooden hut, I saw the outline of the figure for another student who seemed to be about my age. Since I knew that none of the people in my dormitory were going to be out today, I quickened my pace. It might be good to get to know someone from a different House.

But when I saw who it was, I quickly turned and tried to walk away. That boy that was with Petunia was the one strolling by the trees, and he didn't seem to like me for some reason.

But, I have horrible luck. So, of course, as soon as I pivoted on my heel, I heard a thin, male voice call out to me, "Evans! Come here!" Again, I didn't really want to talk to him, so I picked up the pace I was walking at. Bad idea.

I heard him shout some words, and before I could do anything, I had crashed to the ground, unable to move a muscle. Footsteps sounded beside me.

"Thought you could run, did you? Well, you were wrong," the same voice said. Fear was starting to pit in my stomach. If there was one person this guy sounded like, it was my father.

"When I call you, you _answer."_ The guy emphasized the words with a kick. If I could have, I would've whimpered out of shock and pain. Shock, because I was so surprised someone here at Hogwarts would kick me. Pain, because he kicked hard.

"You listen here, bitch," he hissed, leaning close to me. I could see that his black eyes were cold and cruel…like my dad's.

"You are going to answer my question. Now, where did you disappear to last night? Because you didn't come back to your dormitory. " I felt the curse leave my body, so I could answer the question. My mind was racing. How did this Slytherin know that I didn't come back to my bed last night?

"I-I went back to my dorm last night," I whispered, cowering away from those hard, mean eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Liar," the boy said contemptuously. He kicked me again once, twice, three times. "You didn't. You went to the Whomping Willow and you transformed into a werewolf. You're a filthy half-human, a disgrace among wizardkind. We should shun you. We should snap your wands in half and make you live in the forest. But no." He dropped to his knees, to make himself level with me. "You," he socked me in the stomach- I cried out, but no one was there to hear me, "get to," he did it again, "live among us," this time he connected his fist with my arm, "because that fool, Dumbledore, believes in giving people chances." He accentuated the last three words with a kick to my ribs. I moaned as a searing pain shot down the left side of my torso- I'm pretty sure I heard something crack. "But I don't."

"I believe that people like you should be done away with, but I couldn't do that here at Hogwarts. So making your life living hell here at school should suffice."

"What makes you think I'll let you?" I asked, making a stab at a brave voice. He swiped at the part of my rib that was already broken- I bit back a scream of agony.

"Because I know. I can tell everyone. And you don't want that to happen. So come here every other day at this time, or else you're furry little secret will accidentally _slip,_" he sneered, "out of my mouth." And with that, he turned and was about to leave, with his robes billowing behind him, when he faced me again.

"I forgot," he said casually, innocently pulling out his wand. "_Crucio!_"

It felt like a thousand knives were being slowly twisted in my abdomen- this time, I couldn't hold back my scream. It rent the air, high pitched and blood curdling, causing birds to fly away from branches, cawing loudly.

As suddenly as the pain came, it stopped.

"There's a taste of what to expect," the boy said nastily. And this time he really did depart, leaving a shaking, cold me in his wake.

**So I'm doing a scale sort of thingy again….**

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**So…review! I'll send you a preview of the next chappie if you do!**


	7. Chapter 6

**I'm so sorry I didn't update sooner! But my computer had a virus that didn't allow me to go on the internet for more than a couple minutes at a time. Also, thank you a billion to all the reviewers, and I am so sorry that I didn't get a preview to you, due to the damn virus. Anyways, you all get a preview of the **_**next **_**chapter, along with anyone who will review this chappie here. So…chapter six. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Sigh. J.K. Rowling does.**

**Chapter Six**

_Lily's Point of View_

_Great,_ I thought bitterly. _This is just great. This is home all over again._

I believed that if I went to Hogwarts, all my problems would be solved. I wouldn't have my father to deal with; my transformations would be kept secret, and I could have friends.

But no. Because I have the suckiest life out of anyone here at Hogwarts, I just _had _to be the one who gets abused by the weirdo who knows I'm a werewolf. I didn't have to wonder how he knew it- Petunia probably told him. She, most likely, was the one who put him up to this.

I'm not really surprised about the maliciousness of her behavior- she actually _enjoys _watching me get hurt. How sick is that?

_Oh, shit, I'm late for Potter's flying lesson,_ I thought. Gingerly, I got to my feet. Pain exploded in my ribcage, making me slip to the ground again, gasping and clutching at my throbbing torso. That kid broke something, I'm sure of it.

_Now, how the hell do I repair it?_ I questioned myself. _I don't know any healing spells, and I can't go to Madam Pomfrey- she'll be sure to ask how I got them._

Eventually, I decided that I'd go to Potter's flying lesson and try not to hurt myself further, then when I got back to the dormitory, I'd casually ask Alice how to heal broken bones. The plan defiantly had flaws, but it was the best I could think of, so I had to try it.

I got to my feet again. This time, I was expecting the blast of agony in my upper body, so it wasn't as intense, but it still hurt immensely.

Finally, after ten minutes of slow limping, I reached the Quidditch pitch. For a moment, no one was there, and I thought that maybe Potter had either forgotten or had better things to do, but then I heard a voice call, "Oi! Evans! Over here!"

Pivoting on my heel, I was faced with Potter and his best friend. _Perfect, _I groaned silently. _If I make a fool of myself, Black is never going to let me forget it._

"You're late, Evans," Black smirked. I narrowed my eyes at him but said nothing. I didn't want to accidentally spill what had happened to me before I got here.

"Okay, well, you're here now, so we can start. So, you already know that there's a Keeper, three Chasers, two Beaters, and a Seeker. Young Padfoot here," he gestured towards Sirius, who gave a little bow, "is a Beater. I'm a Chaser. Anyways, we'll try you out on all of the positions and see how well you play them." I nodded, but I was wondering internally how the hell I would be able to pull this off.

"So, first of all, get on the broom." Potter motioned towards the sleek broomstick to his right. I gave him a questioning look. He rolled his eyes and showed me how on the spare one next to mine.

Hesitantly, I picked up the handle and swung my legs around it. Shutting my eyes, I pushed my feet off the ground and waited to fall.

I never did. The broomstick stayed aloft, holding me in midair. Finally, something that felt good, that felt _right._

"Great," James said enthusiastically. "You're doing great. Okay, so now I'm going to throw the Quaffle," he indicated the large red ball he was holding under his arm, rather like a Muggle football, "into one of those hoops, and you're going to try and stop the ball." He flew upwards, and I followed easily. Flying wasn't hard at all, and it didn't pain me to do it.

I was able to save three out of the five shots, something he said was pretty good for a first try. I could tell, though, that I wasn't a natural born Keeper.

Beater was up next. Potter thought that Black would do a better job explaining, since it was his actual position.

"Okay, so hold the bat like this," he demonstrated with his own hand, "and in the air, you have to hit Bludgers at the other team's players and away from ours." After I had shown that I understood, Potter let the struggling balls loose. They raced around the field for a second, then came rocketing back to us. The first went to Black, who reared his right arm back and took a good whack at it. The Bludger flew in the other direction.

The second one was mine. I tried to copy Sirius's motions, but I simply wasn't powerful enough to send it very far. Both boys didn't seem surprised. I wasn't incredulous I wasn't any good at this, either- I'm not exactly very muscular. I wish I hadn't even tried to do this, though- my muscles screamed in protest, and I screwed up my eyes and had to bite down on my lip to keep from crying out.

I was actually pretty good at Chaser- I got the Quaffle past James sometimes, but then again, he isn't a Keeper.

My real talent was Seeking.

"Okay," James said brightly, still enthusiastic, even though I'd pretty much failed at everything except the last position. Sirius had left, claiming he had to 'study'. Yeah, right. He _never _studies. Snogging girls in broom closets would probably be a more accurate description. "We'll try you out as Seeker next. This little gold ball," he held up a shining yellow sphere with fluttering silver wings, "is what you need to catch in order to end the game, plus you earn your team a hundred fifty points. This little bugger is fast, though," he warned me. "It's hard to see it, and even harder to catch."

This might be something I could be good at. I can fly very well, according to James, and one of my few strengths is being very aware of my surroundings.

"Okay, let's do this," I told him, setting my jaw. James released the ball.

His eyes followed it for ten seconds, at the most, but then they lost sight of the object. Me? My eyes tailed the Snitch, going left, down, right, down, left, and so on.

Urging my broom as fast as it would go, I bent low against the handle and squinted my eyes. The Snitch, almost as if it knew I was right by it, darted towards the ground. I raced behind it, knowing it would stop sooner or later, or else it'd hit the ground.

But the little ball didn't seem to want to stop. It kept diving towards the grass and mud, and then at the last second, it pulled upwards. I gasped. During the descent, I had gained too much power…it seemed like I was for sure going to crash…unless…

Throwing the full weight of my body against the broom, I yanked the front of the handle back so that it nosed upwards, only centimeters from the ground. It hurt my back like hell, but I knew that it would have been a lot worse had I crashed.

The little golden ball was hovering by the left goalpost. Again, it seemed to sense me going after it, but I was quicker this time. Wheeling my broom in front of it, I grabbed the Snitch and held it triumphantly in the air above my head.

James flew up to me, an almost…awed expression on his face. And he was doing it towards me.

"I-you-how- I thought you had never played Quidditch before!" he said to me, his voice slightly raised.

"Um…I haven't. That was just instinct. I didn't want to crash, so…" I replied, puzzled.

"But you just did a Wronski Feint!" he yelled. "Well, not exactly a Feint, 'cause you actually did see the Snitch…but still!"

"Okay…I have absolutely no idea what you just said," I told him, still bewildered.

"Evans, my flower," I scowled at him, and he smirked while mussing up his hair, which annoyed me greatly, "you have some serious talent. Show up for tryouts-I'm sure you'll make it." He winked at me. I rolled my eyes at him, even though I was kind of internally sighing a bit. What? He was…attractive. Physically. I don't…fancy him…at all. It's just physical, which I can't help.

"Sure. I'm going in…are you coming?"

"No, I'm going to practice a little…see you later, princess of flowers, oh queen of my heart-"

"Shut up," I called over my shoulder, already going towards the ground.

Quidditch was defiantly not as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, I loved it. The only flaw was that Potter and Black were exceptionally good.

I scowled. Potter's going to be showing off whatever chance he can if I make the team, I'm sure of it.

When I reached the ground, I was _planning _on putting my foot flat, but it just didn't work out that way. The toe of my shoe skidded on the ground, unbalancing me and making me fall.

It was almost as bad as getting tortured. My wounds from that evil boy opened up again, and the injuries I sustained from being a werewolf stung agonizingly.

A scream of pure pain split the air, coming from my mouth- I hugged my knees to my chest while attempting to make the burning ease.

"Evans!" I heard Potter yell. Air whooshed beside me, but I barely noticed it, because I was halfway in the world of dreams.

"You bitch!" I heard my father's cruel voice snarl. "Get your ass over here!" I couldn't exactly see him yet, but I felt the pressure and the stinging of his leather belt as it ripped against my side.

"No! Stop! Please!" I screamed. Then, I fell fully into unconsciousness.

This time, that boy that abused me before Quidditch and my father were both taking turns hurting me, whether it be whipping, kicking, punching, or a spell. Petunia watched, a malicious smile playing on her horsey features.

A voice jerked me back to awareness.

"Lily, damn it, answer me! God, what was that spell again? Enn…enn something….damn it, Evans, wake up!" it was screaming frantically.

My eyes flew open to meet the anxious, worried, hazel ones of James Potter. When he realized that I was awake, his anxiety melted into relief. I turned my attention to the ground- his gaze was piercing, almost like I was being x-rayed…and I didn't like it. I had too many secrets to hold.

"Evans, what the bloody hell was that?" he asked, helping me to my feet. I winced- my sides still hurt a little.

"Umm…I just tripped, and I guess that I hit my head. No big deal." I tried to blow it off, but Potter wasn't having that.

"You were screaming," he told me suspiciously. _Damn,_ I cursed.

"Uh...I was in pain?" The sentence that was supposed to be a statement came out as a question. I looked hesitantly into his face to see if he was buying it.

It didn't seem like he was, much, but he could also sense my reluctance to answer his interrogation.

"Okay…but….if that happens again, we're going to Madam Pomfrey," he told me uncertainly. I nodded gratefully, but my mind was racing.

If I wanted to keep all of my secrets safe, I had better be more careful.

**Terrible ending, I know, but I promise next chapter will be up soon, because the dumb virus is off. So….review, please! **


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